


A Helping Hand

by Lucky107



Series: Rock 'n' Roll High School [4]
Category: Bully (Video Games)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Gen, Mischief, Underage Drinking, Underage Smoking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-11
Updated: 2016-08-11
Packaged: 2018-08-08 00:39:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7736329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lucky107/pseuds/Lucky107
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's well-past midnight when Lefty arrives and he's not even sure An will be there.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Helping Hand

**Author's Note:**

> In the Ghetto - Elvis Presley - 1969

**June, 2006**

Ricky's shooting pool with Peanut over a couple of beers when Lefty comes in, too worn out from work to bother getting mixed up in it.  A cigarette hangs loose from Ricky's lips as he lines up another shot, vision too bleary to see the tip of the cue.

The only welcome Lefty receives is a grunt from Peanut, who watches on in tired amusement.  There's no way Ricky will pocket it - they both know it - but he takes the shot.

_Clack._

Billiard balls scatter, ricocheting off the soft green felt.

"Shit," Ricky groans, but he's no fooling anybody.  Especially not Lefty, who takes a seat on the edge of an old wooden crate.  Nobody's ever been curious enough to check out what's inside of it—it's been at the tenements as long as the boys have—but it provides convenient seating when space is limited.

"Give it 'ere," Peanut demands, beckoning for Ricky's cue.  "Let me show ya."

They carry on for a while, their idle banter and bullshit too much for Lefty's tired mind to follow.  Their voices become a dull hum as his eyes drift shut, just for a moment, and— _clack_.  The sound comes again, shaking him awake.

"Geez," Ricky complains loudly, leaning down to grab one of the balls that flew right off of the table.  "Who taught ya to play, your mother?"

"Hey man, don't—"

Lefty climbs to his feet, uninterested in watch two drunks come to blows over a game of pool.

Everyone has work again in the morning and Lefty, for one, is interested in keeping his summer job.  He's just on his way out the door when he spots an out-of-place scrap of paper again the bleak billiard room floor.

He bends to snatch it up, not offering it much thought.  "Hey, Ricky—"

_Mancini:_   
_The lookout after dark._   
_\- An_

Lefty borrows Ricky's bike and rides straight for the lookout.

It's well-past midnight when Lefty arrives and he's not even sure An will be there, but he ditches his bike on the dirt path and hurries out to the lookout with a small spark of hope.

There, leaning against the old steel railing, An watches as hollow beams of light reflect across the dark waves blow.  It's been years since a boat last docked in Bullworth, but the old lighthouse still runs every night as a reminder of the town's rich history.

She doesn't even realise Lefty's come until he calls her name - mispronunciation and all.  "Sorry I'm late—I just got your note."

An fakes a crooked smile, but her rigid posture and powerful grip that pales her knuckles tells a different story.  "I just thought - when I wrote it - that I'd really like to see ya t'night.  I'm glad you came."

"What's up?"  In stark contrast to, Lefty leans on the railing as if he owns te place.  "You can always talk to me, y'know."

"I know, I..."

The first time they met, Lefty was blown away.

In spite of being the runt of the class, everything about An was larger than life.  She was fiery and reckless and ambitious as hell, even if her ambitions were just small-town fool's gold.  Once Lucky filled her head with ideas about taking summer classes and graduating with her own senior class, there was no talking her down.

Tonight, however, An fishes through her pocket for a cigarette and allows her impulsively enthusiastic nature to be silenced by worry.

"Dad's gone outta business, Lefty, 'n' I dunno what to do."


End file.
